Forsythia
by killthejoy
Summary: Lately, Kellin hasn't been himself. He's paranoid. Shiyan has been sleeping with someone behind his back. He's sure of it. So he stays with a friend for a few days, only to come back and find Shiyan had run off with the man he was sleeping with. Feeling depressed and in need of a distraction he visits a neaby bar. There he meets Jeffery Woods.
1. If These Sheets Were States

The icy air nipped at Kellin's exposed fingers and face and snow covered him like fur. But he really didn't mind. He was numb to it. The wind picked up, tangling Kelllin's dark hair with it's cold fingers. His destination was in sight, the neon sign flashing multiple colors, and standing out against the dull and dark surroundings. Faint music could be heard from inside, as well as the sounds of people shouting at eachother. A woman was leaned against the bar's brick walls, a cigarette resting between her lips. As Kellin drew closer, she shifted her gaze to him, eyeing him warily as he pushed open the door and stepped into the warmth of the building.

He recognized the song now, it's lyrics all too familiar to him. It was Shiyan's favorite song. He found himself repeating the words in his head as he took a seat at the bar.

"Can I get you anything?" The bartender asked, leaning against the counter. "Whiskey and coke." Kellin mumbled, saying the first thing that came to mind and holding out his driver's license to show he was legal. He pressed a hand to his chest. There was pressure there and he didn't like it. He began to feel a little panicked, but the feeling faded as his drink was placed in front of him. However it wasn't a whiskey and coke. It looked fruity.

When Kellin opened his mouth to question it, the bartender spoke up. "You look like the type to drink fruity stuff, besides, i've found that this drink is good for helping people forget their heartbreak for a while." Cautiously Kellin took a sip of the drink, and found that it tasted alright. While he drank it, he watched the bartender as he worked, talking to customers, mixing drinks, and telling some dirty jokes in between.

And even though Kellin wouldn't say it out loud, the bartender was attractive. The odd scars on either side of his mouth were a little off putting at first, but he would be lying if he said they didn't suit him. "So how did you know I was trying to forget my heartbreak?" Kellin asked as the bartender leaned against the counter in front of him. "You don't seem like the type of person to come to a bar and get drunk for no reason." He was right. Kellin didn't like being drunk, and only if he was trying to forget one thing or another would he drink. "So Kellin, who was it that broke your heart?"

"I'd rather not say his name."

The bartender placed another drink in front of Kellin, taking his empty glass. "I'll tell you my name if you tell me his." Although he really had no desire to know the bartender's name, he saw no reason to decline. It's not as if saying Shiyan's name would kill him. "His name is Shiyan. Shiyan Jefferson."

There was silence between the two for a moment, and Kellin could see the bartender tense up. "He's the bastard than ran off with my little brother Liu. Said he broke up with his boyfriend to be with him, and the two left without warning." Kellin nearly spit out his drink in shock. "You must be Jeff then. Shiyan told me you guys are friends." "We were friends. After he started messing around with my brother around his boyfriend's back I stopped talking to him."

Jeff glanced around, noticing the population of the bar had declined severely. "Kellin, would you object to coming home with me tonight?" He asked, a suggestive glint in his eyes. "I wouldn't say no." Kellin said, and finished his second drink. "Why don't you stick around while I close the bar and we can leave together." Although it had only been a week since Shiyan left, and the feelings for him still lingered within Kellin, he wouldn't mind a one night stand.


	2. Cheers

Usually, Kellin didn't remember anything from the night before when he woke up in a stranger's bed. But when he opened his eyes and found himself laying with his head on Jeff's bare chest, the memories came flooding back. His face heated up, and blood rushed to his cheeks, tinting them red. As he got up off the bed to look for his clothing, Jeff woke up, reaching out and taking hold of his wrist. "Kellin are you alright?" Jeff asked, pushing himself up to a sitting position. Kellin nodded, but he wasn't sure if he was alright. It felt as if he'd betrayed Shiyan, even though the two were no longer together. "Why don't you go take a shower. Your clothes are.." He trailed off, his gaze flickering to the clothing strewn about the room. "Soaking wet. You fell in the pool last night." Kellin knelt down and picked up his t-shirt. The black fabric was soaked, dripping water on the bedroom floor. "Anyway you can borrow some of mine."

"Thank you." Kellin mumbled, stumbling into the bathroom. He was sore in several places, courtesy to Jeff. He wasn't exactly a fan of showers, always finding himself rushing to wash up and get out. But today he took his time, crying, because it had been a long time since he had. All the pent up tears flowed freely. The emotions and the pressure in his chest were not as severe anymore. When he turned the water off he felt much more relaxed, drying himself off and covering his lower reigion with the towel before returning to the room.

Jeff was waiting there, holding out clothes for Kellin. "Maybe we should talk about what happened last night." He mumbled as Kellin got dressed. "I'm sorry." Kellin whispered, pulling the shirt on and sitting down on the bed. "For what? There's no reason for you to be sorry. I should be apologizing. I feel like I took advantage of you. You just broke up with Shiyan after all." Kellin's hands found the hem of the shirt, and he twisted it in his fingers anxiously. "You didn't. I don't regret what happened last night, but I hope it doesn't ruin our potential friendship."

"I don't regret it either Kellin. Now, I declare this talk over. Are you up for some friendship pancakes?" Rather than question what exactly friendship pancakes were and what they were made of, Kellin went along with it, deciding he could probably eat just about anything right now. So, after almost falling down the stairs and being carried by Jeff the remainder of the way, they reached the kitchen.

There was flour all over the place. The counters and floor held the bulk of the flour, but it had stuck to everything else too./p

The two exchanged glances, recalling the flour fight they'd had last night. "So, should we clean up the flour?" Kellin asked, still not entirely sure why they were throwing flour at eachother in the fiirst place.

"Nah. It can wait. We're making friendship pancakes." Jeff said, pulling open the refrigerator and pulling out the milk. "I hope you aren't putting anything weird in there." Kellin said as Jeff flitted around the kitchen, pulling random items out of the cupboard. "Well, what do you classify as weird?"

"Meat." This made jeff laugh quietly, and Kellin crossed his arms. "What's so funny?" Jeff looked around for a bowl, his laugh dying down. "It's just that i'm a vegetarian. There's no meat in this house." It was Kellin's turn to laugh, and Jeff cast him a questioning look. "Got a problem with vegetarians?" "No, it's just that you say you're vegetarian, but you seemed to enjoy sucking my-" Jeff cut him off, covering his mouth. "You've got a dirty mouth."

The next half an hour was spent making 'friendship pancakes', but most of the pancakes were gone as soon as they left the pan.

"I don't know what you put in these, but they're fuckin' good!" Kellin said, taking another bite of his pancakes.


	3. The Drug In Me Is You

"Thank you for the pancakes." Kellin said quietly as Jeff added his number to Kellin's phone. "I'll make you pancakes anytime. Here." Jeff handed Kellin the phone, and for a moment Kellin held it in his hand, drawing comfort from the warmth Jeff had left. But the warmth gradually began to fade, and he slipped it into his pocket. "I'm going to go now. I have to throw away some of the shit Shiyan left in my apartment. See you later." "Do you want a ride? It's cold as hell out there Kellin." Kellin nodded, perhaps a little to quickly, and Jeff snatched his car keys up off the kitchen table.

When the front door was opened, both felt a wave of freezing air. Kellin shivered involuntarily when a snowflake landed on the tip of his nose. Jeff's car sat in the driveway, and as they stumbled toward it, Kellin noticed the red tinted snow on the ground near it. "Is that blood?" He asked, tugging on Jeff's sleeve. "No. That's just a drink you spilled. Code Red Mt. Dew."

"Sorry about that. How drunk was I?" Jeff had to bite his tongue to avoid laughing, because by the time they'd arrived last night Kellin was probably the drunkest he'd ever been. Of course he'd sobered up before they went to bed together, because Jeff didn't sleep with drunk people.

"I'm not answering that question." He said, still trying to bite back his laughter as he recalled Drunk Kellin falling into the pool and complaining about the butterflies and fish running away from him, even though it was the middle of winter and butterflies weren't around. Kellin opened the passenger side door of the car and got in. He decided not to comment on the grin Jeff had, guessing it involed something Drunk Kellin had done. "I take no responsibility for Drunk Kellin's actions. Drunk Kellin is a completely different person."

"You're not wrong." Jeff said, getting in and starting the car. The heater kicked on, and warm air pervaded through the car. As they pulled out of the driveway, Jeff began singing softly, and Kellin grinned. "God that song is emo as hell." He said, and rested his head against the window of the car. "I was under the impression that's the type of music you listen to." Jeff mumbled, his singing coming to a stop. "It is, but that doesn't change the fact the it's emo. I'm not emo though, obviously." Casual conversations like this were something he and Shiyan could never do. They could talk, but not like this.

Kellin should've known it wouldn't last. But he'd been so blinded by his affection that he refused to let that thought exist in his mind. Involuntary tears formed at the edges of his vision despite his smile. Jeff looked over at him, concerned. "Are you alright?" He asked, turning his gaze back to the road ahead of them. "I'm fine. Well, I will be. Once I forget Shiyan. Once I stop missing his stupid face and the anger and sadness I feel is gone." Jeff smiled a bit. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Sing."

Jeff nodded, and took in a deep breath, before starting to sing again. The sound calmed Kellin, and he found himself calming down. Kellin didn't say anything, not wanting to destroy the mood that had developed with Jeff's singing./p


	4. Jersey

As Kellin opened the house door, the fading scent of Shiyan's cologne enveloped him. He cursed under his breath, and stepped over the threshold and into the house. "So, do you want to come in?" He asked, turning his head to look at Jeff. "Yeah, sure." Jeff said, following Kellin in. There came a shuffling down the hall, and a pair of green eyes peered around the corner, half concealed by light brown hair. For a moment, nothing was said. Until Jeff went sprinting toward the green-eyed boy, snatching him up off the ground and into a ribcage-crushing hug, repeating "Liu" like a mantra. Liu struggled against his grip, squirming to get free.

"Liu, what's going on out here?" Kellin's eyes widened in shock. That was Shiyan's voice. Jeff released Liu, and Kellin shuffled closer to him. Shiyan came into view, and seemed quite surprised to see Kellin. "Kellin, babe, what's up?" Shiyan asked, smiling and taking a step toward Kellin. "Don't call me that." He mumbled, and Shiyan crossed his arms. "Did I do something wrong?" Jeff growled in a warning tone as Shiyan began to approach Kellin again. Kellin ducked behind Jeff before speaking. "Why are you here? I thought you'd found something better than me." Shiyan's smile faltered. "So you know. I wasn't expecting this. And I certainly never expected you'd meet Liu's brother. And if you really must know why i'm here, it's to get my stuff."/p

"Go screw yourself." Kellin mumbled, and Shiyan's expression shifted to a smug grin. "Why screw myself, when I can screw Liu?" He asked, pulling Liu closer. "Hurry up and get your shit, then get out." Jeff cast Liu a disappointed look. "I thought you had better taste in men Liu. But you're always attracted to worthless shitbags like Shiyan." Liu looked down at the ground, clearly disappointed in himself as well. "Kellin, we should leave. Let them get Shiyan's stuff, then we can come back." Kellin nodded, and the two hastily left the house.

As soon as they were back in the car, Kellin broke down into tears. Jeff sang softly, hugging Kellin as he released all the pain he was feeling into these tears. After roughly half an hour, Kellin seemed to have recovered a bit from the encounter. "It's going to be alright Kellin."

"It's not going to be alright. How am I supposed to get over him if I can't even see his face without crying afterward?" Kellin rested his head against Jeff's shoulder. A few stray tears slid off his cheeks and on to Jeff's jacket, only to be wiped away by Kellin, as if wiping away the tears could wipe away the pain that caused them. "It's going to be alright because i'll be here for you. Whether you need to cry on my shoulder, or lean on me when you can't quite stand by yourself, i'll be here. I'm not going anywhere."

With eyes still shiny from the tears, Kellin met Jeff's gaze. "Thank you." He said, smiling slightly. "I wouldn't have been able to face Shiyan alone."


	5. Terrible Things

For the second day in a row Kellin had awoke in someone else's house. Although this time the details were fuzzy and he couldn't recall much. What he did know is that he was laying on Jeff, their limbs entangled. "This couch is definitely not big enough for the two of us to sleep on. I'm surprised neither of us fell off." Kellin mumbled, trying to break out of the death grip Jeff had on his waist. "Ugh, let me up." He said, and squirmed. It was only after Jeff rolled off the couch, still holding him, that he realised his mistake. The two hit the floor, and Jeff's eyes shot open in surprise. "What the hell?" He released Kellin and pushed himself up to his knees, looking around.

"You rolled off the couch." Kellin explained, still laying on the ground where he fell. "Can you tell me what happened yesterday after we got here? My memory's all fuzzy. Did I get drunk again?" Jeff stood up, and picked Kellin up, setting him on his feet. "Nothing important happened. We talked for a bit and fell asleep. And you didn't get drunk. I think i've had enough of Drunk Kellin this week." If not for the look in Jeff's eyes, Kellin would have believed that. But there was a slight pain there in those light blue eyes of his when he spoke.

Although he was obviously hiding something, Kellin wouldn't bother calling him out on it. Although there was a burning desire to know, he knew he would find out eventually, and that sated the burn for now. "So what did we talk about?" Kellin asked, leaning against Jeff for a bit of support. He was feeling a tad off balance and was swaying back and forth. "We talked about.." Jeff had to pause for a moment. "Cats."

"Cats?" Kellin wasn't convinced. "Cats." Jeff confirmed, and yawned. "We didn't fall asleep 'til late last night. I'll have to sleep well tomorrow. I've got to head to work in half an hour. Do you want to come with?" Kellin nodded, and smiled. "I figured you would." Jeff said with a smile. "I've got to go take a shower. If you're hungry check the cupboards. I'm sure there's something for you to eat in them."

Jeff left the room, and Kellin went to search through the cupboards. He settled on a can of fruit and an oatmeal-strawberry bar, and he was munching absentmindedly on the last of his oatmeal bar when Jeff came back, dressed in a white button up, black slacks, and a black vest. He was currently fumbling with a button on the vest that refused to button. Amused, Kellin buttoned it for him, and took a step back to admire how hot Jeff looked in his uniform. "You should try putting your hair up." He said, and Jeff grinned. "Want to help me do it then?"

Kellin nodded, and pulled a hairtie off his wrist. The spot where it'd been was slightly red, because it had been there for about a week. He'd been to lazy to take it off. He guestured with his finger for Jeff to turn around, and when he did, Kellin had to stop for a moment to check out his butt. "Nice ass." He commented, and pulled Jeff's hair up into a ponytail.


	6. Leave It All Behind

Kellin sat at the bar chatting with Jeff until people began to show up, and he found himself making meaningless conversation with others sitting at the bar whilst sipping one of Jeff's fruity concoctions, a mix of vodka, various flavoured syrups and juices, and a bit of lemon juice to keep the drink from being too sweet. As the night progressed, he noticed that a man was hovering awfully close to him, occasionally buying him drinks and making small talk. This seemed to annoy Jeff, and he seemed to be eagerly awaiting the time the man would leave. But after several hours he was still there. Kellin had begun politely declining the drinks he tried to buy him, not wanting to get drunk again.

The man wandered off for a moment, and Jeff seized the opportunity to talk to Kellin without him listening in. "He's obviously trying to get with you. Aren't you going to tell him?" Jeff asked, leaning against the counter. "Tell him what?" Kellin asked, and Jeff froze. "N-Nothing. Never mind."

"Tell me." Kellin demanded, raising his voice slightly. "Kellin don't do this here." Jeff said quietly, wringing his hands together nervously. "Jeff, please will you tell me? Does it have to do with the things I can't remember from last night?" Jeff hesitated, before nodding. "It does. But I'm not going to tell you here, where everyone might be listening in. I'm on break in ten minutes. Can it wait until then?"

Kellin nodded slowly, and crossed his arms. "I want the truth this time." Jeff sighed almost inaudibly, and went back to mixing a drink. The ten minutes seemed to crawl by at the speed of a snail, and when Jeff's break finally came, he was almost asleep. "If you want to hear what happened last night you'll wake the hell up." Jeff mumbled, and when Kellin looked up Jeff beckoned for him to follow. The two entered the employees only room, and Jeff sat down in a chair haphazardly placed in the centre the room. Kellin did the same, and Jeff looked down at his knees. "So, last night you passed out in the car, and I brought you back to my place. You woke up while I was making dinner, and mumbled something unintelligible, then you kissed me."

So far, none of that seemed worthy of lying about to Kellin, but Jeff wasn't finished. "We ate in silence, save for your slurping on the noodles like a little kid. Then when you finished and the dishes were all washed we sat on the couch and you." Jeff paused as if he was afraid to finish.

"I what?" Kellin asked, crossing his arms. Jeff swallowed, and took a deep breath before speaking. "Kellin you asked me to be your boyfriend."

"I said yes."


	7. Mess

Kellin dug around in his pocket for his keys, and after finding them, janmed them into the lock. With a click the door unlocked, and he stumbled inside, nearly falling over. He was drunk off his ass, kicking the door shut before shuffling into the kitchen to find something to eat. "Damn Kellin, i've never seen you this drunk and upset before. It's a while new side of you." Drunk Kellin and upset Kellin combined was unstable mess, and he began crying as soon as he heard Shiyan's voice. "You were supposed to leave." Kellin said, trying not to stutter. "I decided i'd stay for a bit so you can cry on my shoulder when he rejects you."

Kellin bit his tongue, mentally cringing as arms wrapped around him. "He didn't reject me." A flicker of amusement flashed in Shiyan's eyes before he spoke. "Then what happened?" Kellin squirmed until he was free of Shiyan's arms, and hissed in annoyance. "I rejected him, you dumbass. Now get the hell out of my house."

"Aww Kellin, don't be like that. You miss me right? Sure, i've got Liu now, but i'm sure he wouldn't mind if I fu-" "Actually Shiyan, I would mind. Keep your hands off of him or i'm leaving you. I didn't screw up my relationship with my family for you to cheat on me." Liu entered the kitchen, his arms crossed. "Liu I was kidding. Why so serious?" Kellin gave a sigh of relief when Shiyan backed off, muttering a few profanities under his breath before opening the refrigerator and grabbing one of the Japanese beers Shiyan always had. "I'm going to bed now. I want you two out by the time I wake up, or i'm calling the cops to have you removed forcefully. Oh, and Shiyan, if you ever try to get that close to me again I will cut off your most valuable asset."

"I'll keep that in mind." Shiyan mumbled, and Kellin headed for his bedroom, kicking the door open and probably breaking the damn thing, before falling face first on his bed.

 _"And?"_

 _"I said yes."_

 _Kellin a moment to register that in his mind. "You said yes? You knew I was drunk, right? You know, not thinking straight. So why-" "Because I really like you! These past few days have been some of the best i've ever had, and when i'm with you it feels like everything is alright. But, being just friends is torture for me. Because when you do or say cute stuff I just wanna kiss you." Jeff took a much needed deep breath after saying all that, letting his gaze fall to his shoes._

 _"I'm sorry, but I can't. It's too soon. I just broke up with Shiyan, Jeff." Kellin bit his lip, and felt a slightly warm, metallic liquid on his tongue. He'd bit a little too hard. "I hate to ask, but does that mean I might have a chance in the future?" Jeff asked, and Kellin shook his head. "Probably not, but you can ask me again in five years if you still want me."_

 _"Five years? That's quite a long time." "But if you're willing to wait, it might just be worth it." "I'll try again in five years then. But, we can still be friends right, and hang out and stuff?" Kellin shrugged. "I don't see why not."_


End file.
